---
name: "propsel"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "propsel"
version: "971130-5"
release: "Debian 2.2 (Potato)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/propsel"
---

# propsel(1)

propagate X11 selections between displays

## NAME

propsel - propagate X11 selections between displays

## SYNOPSIS

**propsel -remote** *\<display\>* **\[-local** *\<display\>***\]** **\[-remote** *\<display\>* **\[**...**\]\]**

## DESCRIPTION

**propsel** is for people who work with more than a single X11 display on their desk. It allows one to paste into a xterm on one display the contents of the selection of another display.

I have at work two X11 displays on my desk. Actually 3. The one thing I'd been needing most, so many times, is the ability to select a URL on one display and then paste it into the browser in the other display. This is just what **propsel** does.

**propsel** opens the local display (given by the DISPLAY env. var.) and other displays given on the command line with the **-r** or **-remote** command line switch. There is a #define in the source that determines the maximum number of displays it can handle; in the precompiled Debian version, this limit is 8.

After the displays are opened, a small window will open on each display, containing the words "Click to Propagate" in blue. Select some text in any window you like, and click in the little window. The windows in all other displays will change to the word "Selected" in red. You can now paste the selection in the other displays too.

## OPTIONS

- **-local** *\<display\>*

  overrides the **DISPLAY** environment variable.

- **-remote** *\<display\>*

  defines another display to use.

If only one remote display is specified, the display given by -local or the DISPLAY environment variable is used as a second display. Up to 8 displays can be specified in total.

## SEE ALSO

[**x2x**(1)](/x2x/1.md)

## BUGS

Please report any you find using the Debian bug tracking system.

## AUTHOR

Propsel was written by Amit Margalit \<propsel@hishome.net\>. This man page was cobbled together from Amit's QuickStart text by Charles Briscoe-Smith \<cpbs@debian.org\>. Both the program and this man page are copyrighted and licenced for general consumption under the terms of the GNU GPL.